marvin_mason

I am aware there are many threads discussing 5.4 Triton rebuilds. However, mine is somewhat specific.

At 185,00 miles, I decided to take my 2007 F-150 in to my local mechanic due to to my timing chain slap. We discussed that the tensioner was most likely going out. So I went ahead and told him to tear into it. Once he got in there, the tensioner most definitely was bad which had created way too much slack. He also discovered a burnt spot in my head gasket and a broken VVT. Basically, I was keeping my motor from destruction based off of hopes and dreams.

On the first round of repair, he replaced the timing tensioner, timing guides, and both VVT's. While he had everything torn apart, he had the heads reworked, new head gaskets of course, new water pump, and topped it all off with new plugs. Im most likely missing some things I had replaced, but that's the gist of it. Around $3k later, I get my truck back and she's running good.

Fast forward about a month or so. I head out on vacation around 2 hours away. I had a trailer behind me with two jet skis. About an hour in to the trip, the check engine light pops up. I keep on trucking along because it's running fine. When I get to where I'm headed and stop to pay and park, the truck starts shimmying and shaking just how it did when I brought it in the shop the first round. I park it, call the mechanic, and tell him what's going on. He said that he would have to read the code and just to bring it by his shop when I got back in town. He reads the code when we get back and its throwing a VVT code and Runner Valve code. Can't remember which bank on either one. We got a labor warranty claim started with the parts house on the VVT. He said let's replace the VVT first and see if it clears the runner valve code. He installs the new VVT, it clears all codes. However, it is still running very bad at low RPM's. At this point, I have an altenator light on. Without checking with me first, he takes the alternator off and has it taken to be bench tested because he said I was only putting out around 13.2 volts. The alternator tested bad and he had it rebuilt and put it back on. He calls me to come get it because she's running right again.

This time fast forward to maybe 3 miles down the road after I left, starts running bad again. It throws a new code. It's the runner valve (can not remember what bank). He replaces it today, still running like crap. I have not spoke to him personally today because he went home sick.

I do not know the current state on how it is running and I will find out tomorrow. But at this point, Is there anything you guys might think could be wrong? Any possible ideas? I am almost $3.5k into this repair and have not had my vehicle in two out of the last 3 months. Any help would be vastly appreciated. Sorry about the long post, just trying to give as much information as possible. If there are any other questions I can answer to help with a possible diagnosis, please let me know. Thanks in advance for any help or input.

ShirBlackspots

If its the runner valve, AKA, the CMCV, then that's obviously the only part he hasn't touched. That's part of your intake plenum. I hope the guy has been using good high quality OEM/Motorcraft parts.

dukedkt442

Ford parts or aftermarket parts?

marvin_mason

The runner valve was replaced today. It is still running bad. I haven't seen it, nor did I get much of an explanation of how it was running.

All motor-craft parts. Which makes me wonder about the VVT that went out. He believes the low voltage on the alternator is what may have caused it.

ShirBlackspots

The alternator going bad shouldn't cause other parts to go bad.

dukedkt442

Agreed. They’re pressure driven. Voltage can affect their actuation via the solenoid, which I didn’t see as having been replaced. Have they been? What oil are you running, and how long after the work did you let the oil go before changing it?

marvin_mason

I had a very hard time understanding how the alternator could have caused that issue. I’m no master mechanic, but just didn’t seem right. It’s seems like he’s taking let’s throw parts at it until it runs right rather then trouble shoot.

Im running motor-craft 5W-20. That’s all I have ever ran since I bought the truck at 165,000 miles. I don’t know the exact mileage I put on it before taking it back, but I do know it was not over 3,000. I don’t think I had it back even a month before having problems. The solenoids have not been replaced. Just out of my own curiosity, if the solenoids were failing, would that show up when the truck is hooked to a computer?

dukedkt442

marvin_mason

I take back my statement on the VVT solenoids. When I wrote in my original post that I replaced both VVT's, I meant it as the VVT ( or VCT ) solenoids. So both were replaced, 1 failed after about a month. Replaced the damaged/defective one, then replaced the bad runner valve. So at this point I just don't know what else it could be.

dukedkt442

So the phasers weren't replaced?

And, because I trust no one... were they actually MC parts used, or were you just charged for them?